Porcelain Leather
by TheSunHealsMe-TheMoonFeelsMe
Summary: Tanith Low has always had a little crush on the notorious Grand Mage, China Sorrows, but when she has the choice to act on her impulses or hold it all back, will she finally give in to her urges, or will she bottle it up?
1. It’s Just A Crush!

Tanith swung her sword around aimlessly, staring at the many different titles on the books surrounding her. Since her stupid sword wound had kept her from training, she had decided to spend the day at China's library. She had no idea what any of them meant, to be honest, but she was pretending to scrutinize her closely and act like she gave a fuck in case China was watching her from one of the many observation runes etched invisibly onto seemingly abstract surfaces.

Tanith usually couldn't care less what people thought of her, but China was different. Special, somehow. Hmm... she scratched her head thoughtfully. "_The Advanced Guide to Facade Symbology" _She couldn't exactly remember what a facade was. Maybe it was one of those-

"I know you don't know what 'facade' means, Tanith." Tanith whirled around, sword at the ready, only to be greeted with a smug Valkyrie Cain, arms crossed, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

Tanith rolled her eyes, lowered her sword, and smiled. "Hey, Val!" She gave the other girl a quick hug. "So, um, what did you do today?" She asked, casually trying to steer the conversation away from her.

Valkyrie smirked, seeing straight through Tanith's feeble attempt at a diversion. She started with a sing-song voice, "I know you have a crush on Ch-" Tanith clamped a hand over the other girl's mouth, glancing surreptitiously around the library.

"Shut up!" She hissed in a low whisper. "You know damn well I do, Val. Honestly, how could I not? She's literally the most beautiful woman alive."

Valkyrie rolled her eyes, a smile tugging at the side of her mouth, despite her annoyance. "Can you guys please just kiss already? Everybody knows you want to!"

Tanith sighed. "Yeah, nah. Seriously, China is _not _into me like that. I can assure you."

Valkyrie scoffed. "Tae, she's definitely a lesbian. I mean, look me in the eyes and tell me China Sorrows wouldn't flay the flesh from the bones of any man who tried to touch her?"

She let her mouth hang open, as if to say 'duh!' "Obviously I know that, but how the fuck am I supposed to ask her if she's into me?! It's not like I can just casually _go up to her, _and ask her, can I?"

Valkyrie rested her hands on Tanith's shoulders. "Okay, I know this is going to sound terrifying, but what if you just did that?" Tanith opened her mouth to protest, but Valkyrie held up her hand to stop her before she could. "I mean, I know Militsa and I would never have started dating if I hadn't just plucked up the courage to ask her."

Tanith fell back into her seat with an annoyed huff. "Well yeah, but..." she mumbled something incoherent, staring down at the floor.

Valkyrie cocked an ear and cupped a hand around it. She leaned closer to Tanith. "I'm sorry, what did you just say, because I couldn't hear you over your own cowardliness!"

Tanith exhaled slowly and crossed her arms. "I'm scared." She mumbled in a whisper.

Valkyrie leaned closer, comically. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I'M BLOODY TERRIFIED!" Tanith hollered, not caring if anyone heard her.

Valkyrie couldn't help it, and a little giggle escaped. Tanith glowered at her. "What is it?" She barked, annoyed.

Valkyrie just giggled again, and pointed over Tanith's shoulder, melting back into the shadows, probably off to see Militsa. Tanith silently cursed Valkyrie, gulped, and closed her eyes momentarily. _Don't let it be her, don't let it be her, don't let it be her, _she prayed silently.

"Tanith Low! And to what do I owe the pleasure?" The smooth, beautiful, amusement-tinged voice of China Sorrows reached her ears, and she cussed quietly under her breath.

"Now, now, no need for profanity." There was a teasing lilt to her voice, and Tanith was enjoying it.

"Hi, China." Tanith said casually, turning around to face her. She inhaled sharply as she took in China's exquisite facial features. Her long, soft, smooth, shiny black hair was left loose to frame her face. Her lips were plump, moist and red, the colour of moist, ripe strawberries, and Tanith gulped. She had a delicately carved nose, and the most breathtaking eyes.

Those eyes were the colour of frost, moments before it overwhelmed you. They were the colour of a calm, briny sea, sweet and docile, and yet still lusting to wreck the ships of unsuspecting sailors and drag them under the waves, to the eternal embrace of the ocean. Her face was one of a tragic sort of ethereal beauty, and Tanith stuttered and looked down at her feet, unable to form a coherent response.

China arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "And? What brings you to my humble abode, Tanith?"

Tanith stuttered. "Uhh, um, I wanted to take out a book!" She internally cursed her stupid mouth. "Yeah, I've been interested in symbology, lately."

China's eyebrows shot up. "Really?" She asked, interested. "I'm sure I could help you master it."

Tanith balked. "Uh, yeah, sure!" She winced as she stood up, and China's eyes darkened.

"You're hurt." It wasn't a question. China's expression betrayed nothing, but her eyes showed a mixture of concern and fury. "Who hurt you?"

"It's nothing, I'm fine." She tried to get up again, and failed, crying out as she fell back on to the couch again.

China had her arm around Tanith's waist in a flash, preventing her from falling. "Tanith, if you don't tell me who hurt you, I will find out from one of my many sources. You're just delaying the inevitable.

Tanith closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, trying to downplay the sharp jab of pain that suddenly attacked her side. China's eyes flashed. "I will kill them." Her voice was ice-cold and certain.

Tanith moaned quietly, trying not to black out. All of a sudden, China's anger dissipated into concern again. She supported the petite brunette with a hand on her back, and deftly picked her up, bridal style, carrying her back to her apartment, one floor above.

With a quick, light, complicated series of taps on the wall, she disabled her protective sigils and burst into her apartment. She laid Tanith down gently on her couch, and pulled her leather jacket and tank-top off. She inhaled sharply. Tanith's side was bound unprofessionally, clearly, and the blood was starting to seep through.

She unwound the bandages deftly, never one to shy away from a little blood, and looked down at the wound grimly. It was definitely a sword wound, and, judging from the thin, curved, long shape, it had been inflicted by a musket. The wound was thin, but it was long, curving from Tanith's shoulder blade to her hipbone.

She could see the makings of an infection, judging from the condition of the wound. She winced as she realized that Tanith's life was definitely in jeopardy here. There was only one thing to do.

She picked the brunette up gently and laid her on her bed. She gently traced an intricate pattern on the wall beside the bed, pressing down harder in some places, and lighter in others. When she was finished, she lightly trailed her fingers in a small circle, and pressed the middle. All of a sudden, the wall was a breathtaking canvas of light blue sigils, the same colour of China's eyes.

The wall pulsed one, two, three times, and China dropped to the floor, exhausted by the large toll the spell had taken on her magic. She lay there for the count of four, and then forced her aching muscles to support her petite frame and lift it off the floor. On trembling legs, she stood and carefully examined Tanith's back.

Just as she had anticipated; it had healed completely... at the expense of her own strength. What was she doing? China had never so much as lifted a finger to help anyone else, and yet here she was, busy nursing Tanith Low back to health? What was going on? She shook her head tiredly.

That was a problem for another day.


	2. Not Strong Enough

Tanith rolled over slowly and stretched her arms out over her head, yawning loudly. She rolled out of bed, and shuffled her feet around, trying to find her slippers. She frowned, and rubbed her bleary eyes.

As she got the sleep out of her eyes, she realized this was _not her apartment. _

"Hello, Tanith," came a smooth voice from the kitchen. China was wearing a light blue blouse that accentuated her eyes, and a tight black skirt which hugged her curves. She also had on a pair of high black heels, designer no doubt.

Tanith jumped, and immediately reached behind her back to draw her sword. She groped empty air, and suddenly remembered everything that had happened. She remembered wincing, China catching her waist, and a sharp pain... and then nothing.

She pulled up her tank top in disbelief, stretching around to examine her torso. It was completely healed!

China bit her lip, watching Tanith's muscles flex as she turned around. She caught herself quickly and mentally berated herself for staring.

"Thanks, China." Tanith said earnestly. Her eyes showed gratitude, and a little bit of something China couldn't place. "I don't know what I would have done without you. Is there something I can do for you? To repay you, I mean." She looked at China questioningly.

China raised an eyebrow. "You'd be dead, dear." She looked at Tanith pointedly, who looked down at the floor guiltily. "And I think you know perfectly well what I want."

She walked slowly up to Tanith, grazing her waist gently with her arm and trailing her slender, long, graceful fingers gently up Tanith's leg. She brought her lips to Tanith's ear. Tanith gasped lightly, biting her lip to keep from moaning.

"_Give. Me. The. Name." _She whispered lightly into Tanith's ear. She traced her fingers along Tanith's sharp jawline, making her close her eyes lightly.

"Amaya Mayhem." blurted Tanith. "It was Amaya Mayhem." China's eyes hardened.

"I'll be back," China said lightly. She tried to downplay her fury, but Tanith could see from her expressive eyes that someone was about to lose their life. "Don't go anywhere, you're still not fully healed." She turned on her heel, and started to walk to the door, but Tanith caught her wrist quickly.

"Listen, you don't have to fight my battles for me, okay? You could get hurt." She looked concerned. "I mean, look at what she did to me! You have to promise me you'll be careful."

China's eyes softened marginally, but she was still intent on murder. "Tanith, I will see you later." She turned around, but couldn't bring herself to walk through the door. What if she didn't come back? She turned quickly. "Just in case I don't."

Tanith looked confused. "China, what-" China's soft lips met her own, and she gasped. China pulled Tanith closer with a hand around her waist, and deepened the kiss. She brought her hands up to China's hair, pulling her closer still. China pushed Tanith up against the wall, and slid her tongue deftly into her mouth. Tanith moaned into the embrace, and China pulled away.

Tanith cupped her face softly, touching their foreheads together softly. "Come back, okay?"

China nodded. "I will." She pulled away slowly, and walked briskly to the door, as if she wasn't about to go do anything out of the ordinary, just a usual errand.

She flashed Tanith a quick smile, which made her heart ache. And with that, she was gone.

———————————————————————

China had followed a lead she had gotten from one of her many sources, and was now at a rather charming apartment block. Amaya was extremely volatile. One day she was wearing cozy sweaters and oversized t-shirts and drinking tea, and the next she was clad in a tight, black minidress, ready to slit your throat.

She suspected that her many different personalities were a subconscious side-effect of Amaya's unique disposition. Unlike most mages, Amaya hadn't chosen one branch of magic after the change, but had rather retained a little of both elemental magic and necromancy. When she was in a necromancy mood, her power was housed in a long dagger, which she always carried around.

It had a thin, curved blade, similar to that of a musket, which explained China's earlier mistake. When she was in a more elemental mood, she tended to be easier to negotiate with, and China much preferred this to the alternative.

There was just one thing that China was confused about; why had Amaya wounded Tanith? The two hadn't even spoken in ages, as far as China knew, and China knew most things. It made absolutely no sense for Amaya to suddenly lash out. A while back, China had actually considered her a friend.

They had both played an instrumental part in the Diablerie, and they had both chosen to leave before things got too... heated. Then there was the other factor; Amaya was in a happy relationship with Aurora Jane. It made no sense for her to jeopardize that by coming after Tanith.

She looked up at the building curiously. _Time to see where the day would take her. _She took the stairs up to the top floor, just to demonstrate the fact that she could make it up five floors, in heels, without so much as breaking a sweat. Besides, that elevator was probably _filled _with the filth of others, and China would rather die than smell like body odour and burnt rubber.

She got to the desired apartment, and knocked deftly three times. The door swung open almost immediately, revealing the curvy figure of Amaya Mayhem.

Her black hair cascaded down her back in decadent waves, complimenting her light brown skin tone nicely. She had chocolate brown eyes, thick, red lips, and a sharp jawline. She was wearing a short, dark blue sundress, and a pair of black platform heels.

She looked surprised to see China after such a long time. "China? I didn't know you were going to drop by? We were just about to make some lunch." She said warily.

China arched an eyebrow. "We?" She questioned.

"Oh, silly me." She smiled warmly. "Would you like to come in?"

China nodded slowly, allowing Amaya to show her into the cozy little apartment. One thing was for sure, whoever designed this apartment had an eye for decorating. It had a nice, warm yellow theme to it, with honey-coloured curtains and oak wood furniture. There were plush, inviting armchairs arranged around a fireplace, with a basket full of colourful patched blankets and a soft carpet.

It was semi-open planned, so the rooms were divided, but still left open. The kitchen was just off the living room, and contained a delightful carved oak wood table, a dark sideboard, and a wooden floor.

The entire place gave off a welcoming, homey feel, not exactly the typical, villain-ey dilapidated warehouse she had been expecting to find. She was dragged out of her observations by Aurora Jane walking happily into the room and planting a kiss on Amaya's lips.

Aurora had wavy, strawberry-blonde hair cut into a long-ish bob. She had quite a few freckles, a dainty nose, and little pink lips. She had a light skin tone, and expressive, midnight-blue eyes. China didn't know her personally, but she knew Aurora had been part of that group 'The Maleficent Seven' when Tanith had been... indisposed.

Aurora seemed to notice China, and did a double take. "China Sorrows? As in, _the_, China Sorrows?" She asked curiously.

China spread her arms. "It seems my reputation precedes me."

Aurora laughed lightly. It was an enchanting sound, like tinkling bells. "It seems it does!" She turned to Amaya with mock-anger. "Maya, when were you going to tell me you knew Miss Sorrows?"

China waved her hand. "China's fine, dear." She liked Aurora, and didn't enjoy the notion that she might have to kill her and her girlfriend if this encounter didn't go well. Aurora seemed sweet and unsuspecting, but she was a skilled fighter, cunning and cold when need be. An opponent to be wary of on the battlefield.

China decided to get straight to the point of her visit. The sooner she got it over with, the sooner the pair could go back to their afternoon, and the sooner she could gat back to Tanith.

"Amaya, did you try to kill Tanith Low?" She asked bluntly.

Amaya's eyebrows knitted together and she steepled her fingers. "What are you talking about?"

Aurora leaned on Amaya's shoulder, and raised her eyebrow, which China supposed was an invitation to continue.

"Tanith came to my library yesterday. She was very badly injured, and it took a lot of my strength to heal her. I... persuaded her to tell me who did it, and she said it was you."

The pair shared a confused look. "About what time did this happen?" Aurora asked coolly.

"It can't have been before twelve o'clock yesterday, or she would already have succumbed to the infection." China said quietly. "The wound matched that of your sword, Amaya."

"Well, whoever it was, it can't have been me. I was with Aurora the entire day." Amaya looked at Aurora for conformation, who nodded lightly.

China furrowed her eyebrows and day for a moment, trying to make sense of this new information. Her head suddenly snapped up. "Amaya, do you know if Isidora Wicked has been around of late?" She asked quickly.

Realization dawned on the pair's faces. "Yes, actually, I hear she's joined the Necromancer Temple down by the Alley," said Aurora.

China's face paled, something it never did. _"No." _She whispered softly. _"Tanith." _She sank to the floor slowly, putting her head in her hands.

Aurora crouched down next to China, and out a friendly arm around her waist. "China, what about Tanith?" She asked quietly.

China moaned, tearing her fingers through her hair. "I left her alone... I promised her I would be back! And then I..." she wrapped her arms around her knees slowly. "I can't do this."

Then, Aurora did something that nobody had ever succeeded in doing; she slapped China. Amaya gasped, and pulled Aurora behind her quickly, drawing her dagger and looking at China nervously, waiting to see what her reaction would be.

China drew herself up slowly, hand to her smarting cheek, where Aurora had slapped her. Aurora shouldered past Amaya, and put both hands on China's shoulders. "Where's that China that I always hear about from Amaya?" She asked quietly. "Come on, China. You're better than this."

China turned her face away slowly. "No, I'm not. Not when it comes to her." She said softly.

Amaya nodded grimly. "We need to get going if we're giving Tanith any chance of being alive by the time we get there." She and Aurora exchanged a look. "Come on, Aurora. Let's get ready." She looked at China sympathetically. "I have a spare suit if you need it, Ghastly just made it the other day."

She turned to leave the room, but China spoke quickly. "Wait!"

Amaya turned around, grinning. "Yeah?"

China crossed her arms. "I'm going to need that suit."

———————————————————————

They burst into the apartment, weapons brandished and sigils flashing. China was wearing a skin-hugging catsuit, made of Ghastly's special, black, bulletproof material. She ran into the bedroom. "TANITH?" She screamed.

She looked around quickly, but Tanith was nowhere to be found. _Unless... _she tapped a pair of sigils on her bedpost, and the room flashed white. She rubbed her eyes, and gasped. There, in the middle of the room, stood Tanith.

With a knife pressed to her throat.


	3. Isidora Wicked

China inhaled sharply. There, in the middle of the bedroom, stood Isidora Wicked. Her maroon eyes glinted with an insane kind of pleasure, her raven brown hair framing her pale face. Her lips were moist and luscious, and now the corners tipped up into an ice cold smile.

"Hello, China." She said. Her voice sounded dead. "Oh, and you've brought guests?"

China snarled. "This is _my _home. And she's _mine." _She glanced at Tanith, whose eyes were wide. Tanith was shaking her head a mile a second, trying to tell China something... but what?

Tanith jerked her head in China's direction, trying to signal her. She was just about to ask what she was trying to tell her, when the knife slid through her chest. She gasped painfully, and dropped to the floor. She touched her fingers lightly to the wound, and saw blood. Of course there was blood, she had just been stabbed. She let out a wet chuckle. Her vision was extremely fuzzy, and the world had a reddish tint to it. Sounds were muffled, but out of the corner of her ear, she heard loud sobs.

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she propped herself up against the wall. It seemed that Isidora and her companion had been taken care of. Tanith ran over to her, crouching down. She wrapped her arms around China's torso, cradling her body in her strong arms.

Her curly, blonde hair tickled the edges of China's vision. Tanith seemed to be saying something, but she couldn't make out what. She squinted, not understanding what Tanith was saying. Instead, she read her lips. All she could make out was, 'Eye rub ew.'

She frowned and rubbed her eyes again. Then she remembered he sigil on her inner arm, and she pressed it. Immediately, the world came into focus. She could hear what people were saying, see what was going on. Amaya was busy cleaning up the apartment, putting things in their places and wiping the blood of the wall. Aurora was on the phone, probably to the Irish Sanctuary. She looked calm, but her voice was ice, and her eyes said that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Tanith was still cradling China in her arms, her hazel eyes frantically searching her face for any sign of recognition.

She was saying something, over and over again, and it took a while for the sigil to take effect, and when it did, she inhaled sharply.

"China? China please. I need you to wake up, okay? I- I love you." Her voice cracked, and she turned away. China rubbed her bleary eyes, and blinked in disbelief. _But... how could this be? _

Nobody loved China. Men lusted after her. Women pined after her. People in general wanted to have her, or wanted to be her, but never, not once, had anybody ever loved China. Even her own mother had tried to burn her for betraying the Diablerie. Her brother and her had never quite seen eye to eye, so she had had to kill him. All throughout history, China had never once felt anything like... _this. _And she was terrified.

Tanith's eyes suddenly lit up with hope at China's movement. "China?" She asked, her voice bursting with happiness.

China opened her eyes again. Slowly, painfully, but surely, they slid open. "Tanith."

Tanith began to cry. China's eyebrows shot up in alarm. "What happened? Tanith? Are you all right?"

She questioned anxiously.

Tanith nodded, and to China's surprise, began to laugh. She brought her lips down to China's, in a long, passionate kiss. She slid her tongue into China's mouth, cupping her cheeks softly, and caressing her face. China moaned quietly, savoring the moment and reaching up her fingers to tangle them into Tanith's hair. They broke apart softly, resting their foreheads against each other.

_"Ahem."_ Aurora and Amaya stood together just at the entrance to the bedroom, a bemused look on Aurora's face, and a light blush on Amaya's, who had opted to examine the ceiling in detail. "Are you two quite finished?"

Tanith and China broke apart quickly, China hissing in pain as her injured back hit the wall again. "Tell anyone, and I'll slit your throats while you sleep." She said quickly, trying to take hold of the situation before it got out of hand.

Tanith drew her sword jokingly. "I'll help her, you know." She grinned lopsidedly, which China found to be quite adorable.

The pair smirked. "Of course not, we wouldn't _dream _of it, dear!" Said Aurora smoothly, a teasing lilt to her voice. Amaya just chuckled at Aurora's antics, with a hand around her waist.

China smiled dryly. "I doubt you'll need to help me, dear. I've been slitting throats since before you were even a vague concept." She attempted to stand, but fell back to the ground quickly, stopped by Tanith's strong arm around her waist. _My god, but those muscles... _she grunted in pain, hanging onto Tanith for support.

Tanith's face creased with worry. "China, we need to get you to the Sanctuary." She spoke firmly.

China crinkled her face up in disapproval. "Hmm.. no, I think I'll be fine here. I've gotten through worse scrapes, alone."

Tanith narrowed her eyes. "But you're not alone anymore. And anyways, whatever beef you've got with Guild, no matter how much he hates you, you're still a mage, and he literally can't kick you out." She shrugged.

China rolled her eyes at Tanith fondly. "Fine."

Tanith nodded cheerfully, and scooped China up bridal style, ignoring her protests. They made their way down the stairs, and, with that, they were off to the Irish Sanctuary.


End file.
